Wednesday, February 21, 2001
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Wednesday, February 21, 2001 |
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Dunn shows ignorance or audacity to demolish historic house He's done it again! Commissioner Greg Dunn had the audacity to demolish the historic Dorsey Home last week. He did it without the forethought to inform the city of Fayetteville and did not even inform other commissioners of his intentions. Now why is that? Mr. Dunn spoke with me and stated that he truly did not know the value of the history or the architecture of the Dorsey Home. And that, my friends, is a pile of baloney! Personally, I think this was another arrogant display from Mr. Dunn showing the city of Fayetteville that he means business and that what he says goes! Last year I presented to the board letters and architectural drawings from the archives of Georgia Tech detailing the historical significance of the house. I presented to them the historical background of the house as it relates to the history of Fayetteville. This house had everything it needed to be on the National Register of Historic Homes except for the owner's permission, namely the county of Fayette! Did Greg Dunn even think to salvage the valuable carved wood fireplaces and mantels, antique hardware, hand-blown glass windows, 200-year-old Georgia hardwood floors and ceilings, and Eastlake Victorian latticework? No! Worse than that, the following day he had another home demolished and didn't save the antique stained glass front door and carved mantles. It makes me sick to think that we have allowed this elected official the right to destroy what little is left of any history of Fayetteville. I thank God that my children had the opportunity to explore the Dorsey House, to see the lathe and plaster walls made from horsehair, to touch the old doorstops, window pulleys and porcelain door knobs, to hide in the butler closet, and to appreciate how things were years ago for the early citizens of Fayetteville. If we aren't careful, there will be nothing left of "old" Fayetteville. If we continue to allow historical architecture to be destroyed in the name of "progress," Fayetteville will have nothing left but a courthouse and the dilapidated Holliday-Dorsey-Fife House. Why bother spending all this money on brick sidewalks downtown when we have nothing to show for it? I blame the city officials almost as much for the senseless destruction of the Dorsey House. They were given plenty of time to have it moved. They also restricted the relocation of the house so stringently that they actually signed its death warrant. I know for a fact that there were interests to move the house outside of the city limits. Had the city relented and allowed the boundaries to be extended, the Dorsey House would have been preserved and its history respected. In retrospect, I have to wonder that if the Fayette County Commissioners and Fayetteville city officials can't communicate on a subject as simple as a historic home, how do they communicate about much larger issues affecting our lives? Denise Fair Fayetteville
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